Stockport Council has decided to write off more than £184,000 in large unpaid debts that it says can no longer be collected from businesses and residents in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The decision, published on February 23, 2026, involves 11 specific cases where the individual amounts owed are all over £10,000.
According to Stockport Council, the total amount of £184,153.92 includes money owed for business rates, council tax, and housing benefit overpayments. Officials stated that every possible method of getting the money back was tried before the debts were declared irrecoverable.
Cllr Jilly Julian, the council member in charge of finance, approved the move as part of a routine effort to keep the local authority’s accounts accurate. While the money is being taken off the current records, the council can still restart collection efforts if a debtor’s circumstances change in the future.
The move highlights the ongoing difficulty of collecting large sums, especially when businesses close or people move away without a forwarding address. There is a short window for the decision to be challenged by other officials, which ends on February 27, 2026.
